Walter Orlando Novelly

Walter Orlando Novelly, aged 95, departed life on April 6, 2014 at 1:05am.  Born to Pilade Maria and Emma Kathryn (Zadra) Novello on December 22, 1918, in St. Louis, Missouri, he graduated from St. Barbara Catholic School's eighth grade, and from William Cullen McBride High School, where he was editor of the school's newspaper in his senior year, valedictorian, and recipient of a four-year scholarship to St Louis University. In his junior year at the University he was editor of The Archive yearbook. He graduated from the University with a summa cum laude Bachelor degree in geology and geophysics.   That education led to a lifetime career in exploration geophysics, searching for places favorable to drilling for oil and gas. His first employment was on field exploration crews with Seismograph Service Corporation, Tulsa, in 1940, followed by 18 years with Republic Exploration Company, also in Tulsa; then 12 years with Petty Geophysical Company in San Antonio and Houston. He retired as Senior Geophysicist, Frontier Areas, in 1983 from Terra Resources in Houston, followed by a short period of consulting work.   While most of his work was in many of the 50 States, he also did small projects in Canada, France and Colombia. His proudest interpretation of seismic data resulted in the drilling of a prolific well to open a new oil field in complicated steeply dipping rock layers in Garvin County, Oklahoma. During the Cold War era, he managed seismic examinations of dozens of proposed sites for intercontinental missiles in the Midwest.   Deferred from military service during World War II because of his oil exploration expertise, Walter was drafted after the war, took basic training at Camp Dix, New Jersey, and spent a short time in the Army of Occupation’s Eighth Army Signal Corps in Japan, before returning to oil exploration projects.   After his Army service Walter met a nurse in Tulsa, Antoinette Marie Weixelman. They married at St. Joseph Church, Flush, Kansas on January 28, 1950 and started their family of six children, all born in Tulsa, before moving to San Antonio.  She survives at Westy Assisted Living Apartments in Westmoreland, Kansas. Family life found Walter still traveling with everyone in the station wagon to destinations from Colorado to Missouri to the Smoky's and beyond.   In retirement, Walter still enjoyed travel, rarely taking an escorted tour except for some cruises.  He eventually found his way into 59 foreign countries on six continents. During his later years until he moved into a retirement facility in Granbury, TX. Walter kept body and mind alert by playing golf almost every playable day, exercising regularly, writing an autobiography of 371 pages and 1100 photographs, creating massive genealogy charts for related families and friends.   Walter is also survived by, son Gregory Novelly and wife Lisa, of Colorado Springs; daughter Maria and husband Jonathon Shapiro and grandchildren Matthew and Amy Shapiro, of Stockport, England; daughter Nancy and husband Gerald Naumann, of Boerne TX, and their daughter Christy (Naumann) and husband Guy Earle, great grandchildren Jeremiah and Isabella Rose Earle, of Corinth TX; granddaughter Michelle (Naumann) and husband Kurt Johnson, and their sons Alexander and William Johnson, of San Antonio; grandson Richard Naumann and wife Alexandra and their daughter Elle Naumann, of Milford CT; son Thomas Novelly, of Broken Arrow OK; son Nicholas Novelly and wife Denise and their children Anastasia, Trent, Antone, Austin, Eileen and Lucia Novelly of St Marys KS; son Paul Novelli and wife Amy and their daughters Jacquelyn and Isabella Marie Novelli of Granbury TX; numerous cousins, nephews and nieces of various degrees in the United States, Italy, France, Mexico and Panama. Walter was pre-deceased by his older sisters Louise Cook and Florence Killian; his four older brothers, Orville, Orfeo, Julius and Lawrence; and his younger sister Irene Bacon  Sung Requiem Mass will be held at 7:15 a.m. on Saturday, April 12, 2014 at the Assumption Chapel in St. Marys, Kansas. Interment will follow in Our Lady of Peace Cemetery, St. Marys. A Rosary will be recited at the Assumption Chapel at 6:10 p.m. on Friday, April 11. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Paralyzed Veterans of America and left in care of Stewart Funeral Home, PO Box 48, Wamego, KS 66547.